“These usually are not safeguards,” Durov wrote. “They’re a step in direction of full management.” Photograph credit score: miss.cabul/Shutterstock
Telegram has publicly criticized the Spanish authorities’s proposed social media rules, with founder Pavel Durov warning that the measures are “a step in direction of full management” and threaten freedom of expression.
The criticism got here in a mass message despatched to Telegram customers in Spain, during which Durov accused Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s authorities of utilizing on-line security and little one safety as a justification for increasing state surveillance and censorship. The message was broadly circulated on Tuesday and instantly sparked a political response.
Proposed measures goal minors and platform accountability
The dispute facilities on a sequence of digital regulatory measures introduced this week by Sanchez aimed toward rising oversight of social media platforms working in Spain. The proposal contains limiting entry to the social community for these underneath 16 and requiring age and identification verification earlier than utilizing an account.
The federal government mentioned the measures goal to guard minors from dangerous on-line content material akin to cyberbullying, sexual content material and misinformation. Officers argue that current security measures are inadequate and that platforms must take higher accountability for the impression of their providers.
One other key aspect of the plan is to introduce more durable penalties for firms that fail to take away unlawful content material. The supply, which may topic senior executives to private legal responsibility in the event that they repeatedly violate court docket orders, has drawn explicit criticism from expertise firms and digital rights teams.
Telegram warns of censorship and lack of anonymity
The battle between the Spanish authorities and digital platforms didn’t start with Telegram’s intervention. Earlier this week, Elon Musk, proprietor of social platform X (previously Twitter), launched a private assault on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez following the announcement of proposed social media rules. Musk has used his platform to criticize Spain’s chief, calling him a “tyrant and traitor to the Spanish individuals” in a sequence of posts in response to Sánchez’s coverage bulletins, and later describing him as a “true fascist totalitarian.”
Musk’s feedback have been a direct response to Sanchez’s proposed plan to carry tech executives legally accountable if their platforms fail to take away unlawful or dangerous content material. The sturdy phrases marked one of the vital direct private confrontations between Mr. Musk and a European authorities chief in latest reminiscence and raised the profile of the dispute over digital rules in Spain.
Telegram, which has greater than 700 million customers worldwide, has positioned itself as a privacy-focused platform and has repeatedly opposed rules it believes may erode encrypted communications. The corporate says it complies with legitimate authorized requests however resists broader content material moderation insurance policies that transcend court docket rulings.
In his message, Durov argued that the proposal would undermine on-line anonymity, weaken encryption, and expose customers to surveillance and knowledge breaches. He mentioned obligatory identification checks may hinder professional political speech and dissent, in addition to improve the danger of misuse of non-public knowledge.
“These usually are not safeguards,” Durov wrote. “They’re a step in direction of full management.”
Durov’s put up highlights that the proposed age verification for under-16s may require platforms to gather ID and biometric knowledge along with fundamental age verification. He warned that whereas the transfer is designed to guard minors, it may set a precedent for monitoring the identities of all customers, eroding their anonymity and exposing them to mass knowledge assortment.
Telegram warns of censorship and lack of anonymity
Durov additionally identified extra dangers in his put up.
- Algorithmic amplification may turn out to be a legal offense if platforms promote “dangerous” content material, permitting governments to regulate what customers see and doubtlessly creating state-curated echo chambers.
- Platforms will likely be required to observe and report “footprints of hate and polarization,” a imprecise metric that may deem professional criticism as divisive and expose platforms to fines and closures.
- Extreme censorship can drive the removing of political dissent, journalism, and even on a regular basis opinions, placing customers prone to repression in the event that they converse out in opposition to the established order.
He concluded with a direct attraction to Telegram customers in Spain: “Spain, take coronary heart. Demand transparency, combat on your rights. Share this far and large earlier than it is too late.”
Sanchez dismisses criticism from tech firms
Prime Minister Sánchez straight responded to Durov’s intervention on social media, quoting what Durov believed to be: don quixote Nevertheless, a fast look reveals that it’s his adaptation of a portion of Goethe’s 1808 poem “Kleffer,” which can’t however disappoint him.
He accused huge tech firms of opposing democratic oversight and prioritizing industrial pursuits over public welfare. Authorities officers rejected claims that the proposal would result in censorship or mass surveillance, stressing that any content material removing could be ordered by courts, not politicians. It additionally mentioned the transfer is in keeping with Europe’s efforts to tighten digital rules.
A part of broader regulatory tightening in Europe
Spain’s proposal comes amid broader EU efforts to manage digital platforms, together with the Digital Companies Act, which requires huge firms to combat unlawful content material and defend customers’ rights. Nevertheless, Spain’s plan goes additional in some areas, notably relating to age verification and administrative legal responsibility.
Digital rights teams have warned that such measures may set a precedent for weakening encryption and chilling free speech. Opposition events have additionally warned that the invoice may violate constitutional protections whether it is poorly drafted, and are calling for extra readability.
Telegram’s rising political affect
The conflict highlights Telegram’s rising position as a political communication instrument in Spain, the place it’s broadly utilized by journalists, political events and activist teams. This amplified the impression of Durov’s message and elevated scrutiny of the federal government’s proposals.
Telegram itself has confronted criticism from European authorities over its dealing with of unlawful content material, together with extremist content material and legal exercise. The corporate says it would cooperate with lawful requests, however regulators say enforcement stays inconsistent.
The Spanish authorities has not but printed the ultimate authorized textual content of the draft rules, and no timetable has been set for submission to parliament. Officers say the measure will bear legislative deliberation and authorized evaluation earlier than implementation.